US firms keen to be partners in building smart cities: Embassy

NEW DELHI: Keen to partner with Indian firms to help build 100 smart cities, the US Embassy on Thursday asked PHD Chamber of Commerce to identify suitable corporates for collaboration with American companies to uplift the country's infrastructure.

At a meeting organised by the PHD Chamber, the US also offered expertise, both technological and physical, to Indian companies through the chamber to develop power, water & sanitation, transportation and safety & security.

US Embassy officials including John M McCaslin, Counsellor for Commercial Affairs, and George N Sibley, Counsellor for Economic, Environment, Science and Technology Affairs sought proactive engagement from the industry body so that American corporations can create structures leading to creation of 100 Smart Cities in India.

"India also needs the American expertise to upgrade its railway equipment and systems, airports and traffic control systems, aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, cold chain and ports in addition to security modernisation, safe cities, integrated traffic management systems. This can be possible with US-India infrastructure collaboration platform, that has been launched," according to a PHD release.

The government plans to develop 100 smart cities and in this regard an allocation of Rs 7,060 crore was proposed in the Union Budget.

While presenting the Budget for 2014-15, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision of developing 100 smart cities as satellite towns of larger cities and by modernising the existing mid-sized cities.